Good Inexpensive Reusable Bags

In the last post we looked at the many cons of cheap reusable bags. However, just because a bag is inexpensive doesn’t mean it can’t rock. Basically you’re looking at a few issues…

• How it’s made – decent materials? To see if a bag gets good reviews or not check around the web before you buy.
• Can it be recycled? For example, my reusable bags are cotton so later I can reuse squares cut from them as cleaning cloths, plus in the end they’ll biodegrade. Not so for all reusable bags. Avoid hard to recycle materials. Your best bet is to stick with fibers like cotton or hemp.
• How many will you need? Cost is a factor if you need a lot of bags. Consider buying a set if you have a large family. Sets will almost always save you cash over buying single bags.

Below are some good reusable bags that are $10 or less, look like they’re made well and work well, and have mostly good reviews from what I’ve seen.

• My bags – I have the ACME Recycled Cotton Totes and love them.
• ACME Bags Dual-Handled Tote, Hemp, Natural – like mine, but a little different. Made with hemp not recycled cotton.
• Joey Totes – these bags have some material cons, but overall are very well made and last a super long time. Also they’re nice and roomy.
• ACME Bags EarthTote, Original – I don’t love that these are made with nylon, but they’ll last forever, are big, and come with a lifetime guarantee.
• Original rePETe reusable bag by ChicoBag – made of 99% recycled content with 73% of the total weight from post consumer recycled materials. Comes in an array of pretty colors and ChicoBags hold up awesome.
• Envirosax are made from polyester but come in designs you’ll actually love to use, have a low-price point, and they offer a rare mail-in recycling program. I like their Planet Green Bag Set, but they offer tons of other designs and basic colors too.

Bonus – I found this article at The Wall Street Journal, An Inconvenient Bag that discusses which store brand bags may be the most eco-friendly and the most long lasting, if you still want to go that route.